Quote for the Day 31Aug2009

People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives. - Stedman Graham

BECAUSE OF THE KINGDOM?

Dearly Beloved,
BECAUSE OF THE KINGDOM?
"And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize — a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]" (Matthew 11:12 AMP)
Throughout church history, denominations, groups of people, and individuals (both Christians and non-Christians) had misinterpreted and misapplied the Scriptures. These misinterpretations and misapplications which many people will claim are because of the kingdom of God have caused many erroneous doctrines and practices today. It is unfortunate that people are still misinterpreting and misapplying the Scriptures today especially to suit their selfish wishes. It would have been better if such selfish ambitions advance the cause of the gospel, but most of such are to deliberately deceive people to the selfish gains of the perpetrators of such misinterpretations and misapplications.
To buttress this, here is a mild drama that ensued between me and an unknown person recently. The person sent an SMS to me thus: "2nd edition of the ongoing chevron/Texaco bonanza, you just won N500,000.00, your number is one of the 15 lucky winners, ticket BT352k. Call us on [a mobile phone number]." Immediately I received the message, I knew it was a hoax. I called the person and advised him to desist from such act. The moment he discovered that I was not going to play along with him, he ended the call. Therefore, I sent this SMS to him: "I will advise you to stop this dubious act of duping unsuspecting people before God catch up with you with His wrath. You are warned!" He did reply my SMS. Here is his response: "I will advise you to stop this dubious act of yours because the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. You are warned! Mind your business." I replied him again thus: "So, your own way of taking the kingdom of God by force is deceiving people! The Lord will reward you greatly! I mind my business, but do not try such on me and other unsuspecting people again. I warn you, be ready for God’s wrath!" He never replied my second SMS.
One would wonder that such person could be bold to say that he is duping people because of the kingdom of God. No wonder, there are many questionable churches and fake pastors today. They hide under the kingdom of God and cause much havoc to unsuspecting people. Many scam emails have been sent to people telling them that there are donations to be used for God’s kingdom purpose. A careful verification of mails would reveal that they come from fraudulent people.
Are you one of such dubious people? Are you also deceiving other people because of the kingdom of God? Jesus Christ declared, "Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done" (Revelation 22:11-12 NIV).
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 29Aug2009

God’s love for us is always astonishing, especially when it touches us at a low ebb of life. During our darkest times, the Lord comes to us with His joy, His love, and His song. - David C. McCasland

Quote for the Day 28Aug2009

People are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound. - James Allen

Quote for the Day 27Aug2009

To think that you are not going to fail is an illusion. Fail faster, you will only be closer to what you want. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 26Aug2009

God is not pleased if you praise Him at church but not at your workplace. It is not acceptable for you to revere God when you are with other Christians but not in your school or neighborhood. He expects you to honor Him completely, with your words, with your actions, with your life. If you honor Him, He will honor you. - Henry Blackaby

Proposed Book on Internet ministry

Here is the cover of my proposed book on Internet ministry now at the advanced stage in the press. Pray for the success of its production, and be part of the vision. Contact me privately to know more. God bless you!

Quote for the Day 25Aug2009

If you are helpless in life's fray,
God's mighty power will be your stay;
Your failing strength He will renew,
For He's a God who cares for you.
- D. De Haan

Quote for the Day 24Aug2009

God can bring you through situations you think you won't survive, or feel you'll be stuck in forever. He can make you comfortable in the most uncomfortable places, and give you peace in the midst of trauma. - Bob Gass

WHEN GOD BECOMES "INACTIVE"

Dear Beloved,

WHEN GOD BECOMES "INACTIVE"

"[God] will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not
slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you…. The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:3-8, NIV).

No doubt, the psalmist penned several promises of God's protection and care for His own people. However, there are times when God seems "inactive" - times when it seems He could keep these promises.

The Israelites experienced such times. It was one of their numerous wars with the hostile and domineering Philistines (1 Samuel 4). The Israelites decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant - the symbol of God - to the battleground when the Philistines were gaining the upper hand. It was as if God Himself was present with them in battle when the ark arrived. The Philistines had the same impression when they heard the Israelites' shout of joy to welcome the ark. They were afraid. Nevertheless, the courageous Philistines won the battle and even captured the Ark of the Covenant!

Samson also found himself in similar situation. He had been a threat to the Philistines until one day he found himself in the net of the same
Philistines. The Bible records, "Then [Delilah] called, 'Samson, the
Philistines are upon you!' [Samson] awoke from his sleep and thought, 'I'll go out as before and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the LORD had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison" (Judges 16:20-21, NIV).

One may wonder what went wrong in the two situations. Could God not save them? Why did He leave them in such critical situations? Why was He "inactive" when it mattered most? The answer is not far-fetched. SIN had separated them from God. Samson flirted with a strange woman against God's will. Even he could not discern the danger that such action depicted for him (Judges 16). Because of the sins of the house of Eli, God decided to punish the Israelites (1 Samuel 2:27-36; 3:11-14).

What could make God to be "inactive" in your life? What could make Him not to be ready to help you? Isaiah declared: "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2, NIV).

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Note:
This message was first posted on Sunday May 2, 2004.

Quote for the Day 22Aug2009

Don’t let the difficult circumstances you are facing convince you that God has forgotten you. Don’t ever assume that God is more concerned with the needs of other, more significant, more spiritual people than He is with yours. - Henry Blackaby

Quote for the Day 21Aug2009

My policy is to learn from the past, focus on the present, and dream about the future. I'm a firm believer in learning from adversity. Often the worst of times can turn to your advantage. My life is a study of that. - Donald Trump

Quote for the Day 20Aug2009

The world knows how Christians are supposed to act as well as Christians know. We are on stage, the world is watching. If you were accused of being a Christian is there enough evidence to convict you! - Erik Lundberg

Quote for the Day 19Aug2009

People are watching. They watch to see if our behavior matches our belief, if our walk matches our talk, and if our character matches our confession. In a word, they watch to see if we have integrity. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 19Aug2009

People are watching. They watch to see if our behavior matches our belief, if our walk matches our talk, and if our character matches our confession. In a word, they watch to see if we have integrity. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 18Aug2009

The Christian life is more than just
A prayer of faith made in the past;
It’s dedicating every day
To live for Christ and what will last.
- Sper

Quote for the Day 17Aug2009

On to victory, follow your mighty Commander,
On to victory, follow where Jesus may go,
On to victory, close to your shield and defender,
On to victory, conquering every foe!
- C.S. Kauffman

REMAIN FOCUSED!

Dearly Beloved,
REMAIN FOCUSED!
“‘Lord, if it's you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:28-30 NIV).
The disciples of Jesus Christ were in a boat buffeted by the storm. Jesus had to interrupt His prayer time in order to rescue the situation. Being the omnipotent God, He walked on the water! The disciples were terrified to see somebody walking on the water, so they concluded that that person must be a ghost. They cried out in fear. However, Jesus Christ revealed His identity and dissuaded them from the fear. Simon Peter wanted to be sure, and even wanted to do what Jesus was doing – walking on the water. Jesus invited him. Peter got down from the boat and started walking on the water. As he was walking towards Jesus, he lost focus and remembered that he was on a storming sea. Immediately, he started sinking. Thank God that he retraced his steps by focusing on Jesus again. He called for help and Jesus helped him.
Undoubtedly, we are all in the stormy sea of life. The waves of life are buffeting us every day. The good news is that the Lord is not indifferent to our situations. He has come to our rescue and extended to us the call of relief from these storms. In Matthew 11:28-30, He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (NIV). Some people have yielded this call while many have not. However, like Simon Peter, many of those people that have yielded the call have lost their focus on Jesus. They are now focusing on the storms of life. No wonder, they are sinking into the sea of life.
Have you come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Have you yielded to His call to come to Him? If yes, congratulations! If no, please come today! However, to enjoy His tranquility in the storm of life and even walk above it without sinking, you have to remain focused on Jesus Christ. Whatever the situation, He is more than able to rescue you from your storm of life.
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

Quote for the Day 15Aug2009

Even those that encourage others need to be encouraged. The next time someone encourages you, don’t forget to encourage them too. You never know what they may be going through. - Martha Tatum Salone

Quote for the Day 14Aug2009

God wants you to live a stress-free life, not one filled with worries about tomorrow’s problems. When tomorrow comes, His grace will be there for you as your help, protection, favor and enabling! - Joseph Prince

Quote for the Day 13Aug2009

Observe, God starts your day with a nighttime experience. In order for your faith to blossom, it must first be incubated in the dark. Real faith only germinates in adversity, so if you try to escape you lose the opportunity to move into higher realms of faith. - Bob Gass

Quote for the Day 12Aug2009

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.
- Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 11Aug2009

We need to appreciate what we have and treasure it so that we can more fully appreciate any addition that comes our way. We can learn to be satisfied - with God’s help we can find this inner peace. - Dee Kilough

Quote for the Day 10Aug2009

Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all. - D.L. Moody

DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER!

Dearly Beloved,
DO NOT CHANGE THE ORDER!
“[God] will bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3 NIV).
Being a Saturday, I woke up late that day. I could not properly do my daily “Quite Time” with God before I rushed out of bed. I was eager to send my monthly prayer wish by SMS to people in my SMS lists. I successfully sent the same prayer wish by email and even uploaded it on my website, but the SMS could not be immediately delivered to people as I expected. I was frustrated. My purpose for rushing out of bed was defeated. I went back to do my “Quite Time” properly. Then I remembered that I had changed the old order of God’s way of blessing people. God’s order as He told Abraham (in Genesis 12:2-3) is that He will first bless a person if the person has a close relationship with Him, then use the person to bless others.
Many people want to serve God and want God to bless other people through their services, but most of the time, such people do not wait for God’s blessings for them. Many are so pre-occupied by the work of God that they neglect the God of the work. They can spend hours with people ministering to them but find it difficult to spend quality time with God.
Martha was guilty of this when Jesus Christ visited her home. She was pre-occupied with service and even accused her sister who was with Jesus of not helping her with the service. Jesus corrected her, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42 TEV). Mary knew the order: she first received the blessings of God before thinking of being a “blessing” to Jesus and others.
Are you not also knowingly or unknowingly changing the order: trying to be a channel of God’s blessing to other people while you have not allowed God to bless you? Are you not being pre-occupied more in the work of God than being in the presence of or close fellowship with the God of the work? God will make you a channel of His blessings to other people, but let Him first bless you. Do not change the order!
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
NB
You still have the opportunity of being part of my SMS ministry. Send your mobile phone number (including country code if not in Nigeria) to me at . God bless you!

Quote for the Day 08Aug2009

Worry and faith do not mix - they are like oil and water. We cannot trust God and fret about what is going on in our lives or what will happen in the future. - Charles F. Stanley

Quote for the Day 07Aug2009

One of the practical ways of showing our love for the brothers and sisters is to share our material blessings with those in need. This happened quite spontaneously at Pentecost (Acts 2:44,45). A Church filled with love is the salt of the earth, the light of the world and a city on a hilltop. - from www.StanleyOnBible.com

Quote for the Day 06Aug2009

Do not look to become a person of success, look instead to
become a person of value. - Albert Einstein

Quote for the Day 05Aug2009

Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do. - Neale Donald Walsch

Quote for the Day 05Aug2009

Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do. - Neale Donald Walsch

Quote for the Day 04Aug2009

Building up our character is a slow process, and happens every day. But when we try to escape the storms of life, we short-circuit the process and delay our growth. This has great detrimental consequences. - Author Unknown

Quote for the Day 03Aug2009

Oh, lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
Oh, feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet!
- Frances R. Havergal

THE MAJORITY!

Dearly Beloved,
THE MAJORITY!
“But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there” (Acts 27:11-12 NIV).
In a democratic society, majority always have their way while the minority have their say. In other words, majority carry the day while the minority are left in the cold. That is the ideal. However, at times, majority opinion or decision may be dangerous and be detriment of the whole society.
Paul the apostle was in a voyage to Rome as a prisoner. It was evident that the sailing had become dangerous. So, he advised the sailors against continuing the voyage. The centurion who was leading the journey and majority of people in the ship thought otherwise. The majority had their way while Paul had his say. However, the decision of the majority nearly cost them their lives after losing everything they had in a storm that led to a shipwreck.
When Moses was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land, twelve spies were sent ahead of them to the land. Ten of the spies brought bad reports while only two brought good reports. The Israelites followed the majority and rebelled against God. This made the whole generation of those people not to get to that land except the two people that brought the good reports (see Numbers 13, 14).
In leadership, while it is good to listen to the view of the majority and follow it, it is better, at times, to thoughtfully consider the view of the minority. Majority may have the same view, but they are not right all the time. The majority view may be dangerous at times. Therefore, pray for the discerning spirit, especially, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, in following the majority.
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).